The US Justice Department has sued Harvard University, alleging non-cooperation in a federal investigation into whether race was considered in admissions decisions
The US Department of Justice on Friday filed a lawsuit against Harvard University in federal court in Boston, alleging the institution failed to cooperate with a federal investigation into its admissions practices and seeking documents to determine whether race was improperly considered.
According to the complaint, Justice Department attorneys said the requested records are necessary to assess whether Harvard is complying with a 2023 ruling by the US Supreme Court that found race-conscious college admissions programmes unconstitutional.
In a press release, the department stated that Harvard had “repeatedly slow-walked the pace of production and refused to produce pertinent data and documents,” including materials tied to admissions policies and communications concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes that have since been banned.
The department said the case was filed “solely to compel Harvard to produce documents relating to any consideration of race in admission” and “does not accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct, nor does it seek monetary damages or the revocation of federal funding.”
Trump remarks and funding pressure
The legal action comes less than two weeks after
US President Donald Trump said his administration was pursuing $1 billion from Harvard to resolve investigations into the university’s policies. His comments followed a news report stating that he had withdrawn a demand for payment from the Ivy League institution.
The administration has also warned that it could withhold federal funding from Harvard and other universities over several issues, including pro-Palestinian protests linked to Israel’s war in Gaza, diversity initiatives, and transgender policies on campus.
Last year, the administration moved to cancel hundreds of research grants awarded to Harvard, arguing that the university had not sufficiently addressed harassment of Jewish students. Harvard responded by filing its own lawsuit.
Harvard responds
A spokesperson for Harvard said the university is committed to complying with the law and has responded to government requests in good faith, according to Reuters.
“The university will continue to defend itself against these retaliatory actions which have been initiated simply because Harvard refused to surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights in response to unlawful government overreach,” the spokesperson said.
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